Best Vintage Razors?

A great thread this one is. I certainly don't have as much experience in the vintage arena when it comes to the hollowed arena of the great vintage razors. The OP referenced DE's and my experience is limited to just 2 of them, the Gillette Ball End Thin Head Old Type, and the Gillette New LC "Reissue" OC. Both fabulous razors and I would venture to say that if you polled 100 traditional wet shavers today, I would think that you would get at least 60% out of those shavers whom have used a variation of the Old Type or New Type at one time or another. I believe those 2 razors to be that predominant since they were introduced more than 100 years ago. All others are measured and tested against the original that was created in 1901.

That we are still talking about those 2 today should be more than enough to put them at the pinnacle of safety razor design and shaving acumen. Let me put it this way:

Open most any thread that talks about DE's, whether adjustable, OC, or SB and you would be hard pressed to find a thread that does not reference either one of these razors at some point or another. I'll admit, I have other razors that I like more and I myself am more in tuned with the more modern razors of today. Aesthetically the modern razors just please my eye more. But, I'll always know that the true spirit of today's DE's was born with King Gillette and the Original Open Comb Old Type.

Long Live The KING.....

Gillette NEW Short Comb
Gillette Canadian pre war tech
Gillette USA pre war tech

I use all of the above with heavier handles.
I am currently having a NEW SC replated.

Wilkinson Sticky.

Looks contemporary and modern still.

Thanks to this thread I pulled out a Gillette Old Type with the thin cap this am.
Not a bad shave at all.
Or course I am going to have to use my thick cap tomorrow to compare!

For me it looks like this:

Gillette British RFB NEW types

British Gillette Goodwill

American NEW SC

And then everything else. The techs and NDC superspeeds are nice but I generally prefer open comb razors.

For me, both the Tech (I have a post war fat handle) and the Slim adjustable. As I have grown in experience and technique, these two razors continually impress me with the ease at which I can achieve an outstanding shave. The big caveat: I have not owned or shaved with any of the modern big boys. My Rockwell 6c, a Merkur 34c HD, and the Maggard Razors open comb and safety bar are the extent of modern razors that I've owned and used. Those two Gillettes I have and have paid to pretty them up! The others have been PIF'd, sold, or gifted.

I like Gillette adjustables. Some of them rare, some not. To me...the Toggles reign supreme in all Gillettes in beauty. I have a Standard and a Chrome that are in-use. Both have been serviced and re-plated. They are works of art.

My Red Dot Fatboy is interesting to have and I use it as well. It does not shave 10x better than a $50 Fatboy though.

Gillette adjustables, I think, are fantastic shavers and the 9 adjustments give me many aggressiveness options...even between passes. If I only had (1) razor, it would be a vintage Gillette adjustable. Likely the Chrome Toggle, not because it is the most rare but because that head is smoother than any other. I also think it's the best looking.

Another vintage 2-piece razor that I own is an Eclipse Red Ring. It is just sexy as hell. Very nice piece. I've heard it is a great shaver but I've yet to use it.

I have a vintage Apollo 3-piece razor that I like to use. It is mild, yet efficient. Great shaver.

I think the best of the vintage DE razors are the OLD types. A 1909 single ring is among my favorites. I will have to add that for my money the vintage SE razors are better then the DE's. My lather catchers rank at the top of the SE list for me.

Gillette FB NEW - I prefer it over the LC and SC US models.

Wardonia - aggressive beast but does an excellent job.

Gillette NEW Short Comb circa 1932-40, loaded with a GSB